I thank the Senator. I do not think I need to reiterate - perhaps I do - that the issue of the state aid approval has been well flagged. It has been known since before the new year that we were awaiting the new state aid guidelines, and that we would not be able to launch a brand new scheme on 1 January, because we had to engage with the Commission and we had to seek the state aid approval. That informal process is now complete. The formal submission has been made-----

Recently. I do not have the date.

I do not have the date on me. I can find it for the Senator and we can let him know.

The formal submission has been made and we are confident that we have addressed all of the concerns the Commission had in the informal engagement. It is unfair for the Senator to say that the forestry sector is in crisis. I have been visiting forests around the country, and most recently at the weekend in my constituency. There are a lot of happy foresters out there. We are going to have a lot of happy foresters in the future. We have a balance to strike here and we have a programme that must meet the increasingly …

The Department has delivered considerable reductions in the backlog of all forestry licences, as well as reductions in the time taken to process newer files, and, last year, we had another significant year-on-year increase in the number of licences issued. The backlog of licences on hand more than four months reduced from 6,000 applications in August 2021 to 3,700 at the start of 2022 and 1,840 on 14 April this year. The progress in reducing the backlog is expected to continue through 2023. My Department continues …

I will get the information on turnaround times to the Deputy. I do not have that specific detail to hand. There has been significant improvement in the turnaround times, which is welcome. I acknowledge the concerns and frustrations of forest owners in recent years at having to wait too long, quite frankly, for their licences. The work that has been done in my Department in the past two years, however, has significantly improved that. As regards two-year licences, licences are issued based on the requirements of the…

As regards the new forestry programme, the formal process and submission is now under way. We have been informally engaging with the Commission in recent months but I am glad to report the formalised process is under way. As regards ash dieback, we had the reconstitution and underplanting scheme, RUS, in place. However, I have committed to reviewing the scheme in the early part of this year. Our focus has been on getting the forestry programme submitted to the Commission. My attentions will then certainly turn to t…

I thank Deputy Carthy. His question on my listing was to ask about the new afforestation from 2019 onwards, so I am happy to address that and the rest of his queries and comments. New afforestation planting in the years 2019 to 2023, inclusive, is as follows: in 2019, there were 3,550 ha; in 2020, there were 2,434 ha; in 2021, there were 2,016 ha; in 2022, there were 2,273 ha; and to date in 2023, there have been 114 ha. The Deputy will be aware that new planting numbers have decreased in recent years due to variou…

I thank the Deputy. At the committee to which he refers, I believe what the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, was referring to was the number of afforestation licences approved at that time. That would have been in the region of 1,000 ha. That is the intent for people to plant. They requested these afforestation licences under this interim phase with the intention of planting those trees. I hope, and indeed expect, that all 1,000 ha and more will be planted under the interim arrangements. In the meantime my Department …

I am fully aware of the need to meet our afforestation targets. In fact 8,000 ha per year may not be enough. In the future we may have to go to much higher levels.

I am fully aware of that. My Department is fully aware of that and my party colleagues are fully aware of that. That is why we are doing everything we can to get this programme off the ground from within my Department. We engaged extensively on this with the public in advance over the past year and a half. Forestry is not a matter of quickly doing it and that is it. Forestry is a long-term, permanent land use change. We have to get it right. I accept the frustrations and indeed the Deputy’s frustration with the rat…

ACRES is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027. It is a flagship agri-environmental scheme and it is intended that it will pay farmers €1.5 billion over the lifetime of the scheme. ACRES will play a huge role in terms of driving environmental improvements. It is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme. I am delighted to see that so many farmers applied for ACRES, indicating their willingness to farm for the benefit of th…

I do not know the details of the specific case referred to by the Deputy, but an appeals process should be available. I do not know, but I assume it would be in the case of any concerns or dissatisfaction regarding the result from the Department. Many farmers wish their lands were in CP zones because of the higher payment rates involved. It is a collective approach in those areas to improve the habitat and the land. The ultimate aim of the CP projects is to put the needs of the land and the landscape first. We have…

----- or however you want to describe it, that person should reach out to the Department. On the whole, however, if the CP team has designated the inclusion of the land in an area, then that is the area they are in.

I will seek information on an appeals process and convey it to the Deputy. From his constituent's perspective, decisions are made by the CP teams. That is how the process in this regard has been set up. They are the experts. They are the people who identify lands. There appears to be a standoff as to whether the land in question is suitable. I think the Deputy's constituent would be happy for his land to be included in a CP area. Many farmers wish that their land were included. I will look into the situation for th…

This issue has been topical for a number of years. As the Deputy is aware, hedge trimming is a routine and essential management practice for farmers on their land. In light of this and in anticipation of the ending of the practice of burning as a method to dispose of cuttings or green waste, we commissioned a study to explore the management of this agricultural waste in Ireland. A feasibility study to sustainable management of agricultural green waste in Ireland was conducted by the Irish BioEnergy Association and …

An exemption under the legislation, which in the past allowed farmers to dispose of waste generated by agricultural practices by burning as a last resort, has been extended for a number of years. It was never intended that this exemption would be extended indefinitely. The exemption for the practice of cut agricultural green waste was due to end on 1 January last, but regulations were signed on 27 January for an extension of the exemption. The regulations extended the exemption for the burning of agricultural green…

The report of the study is available on the Department's website. We have asked the Irish BioEnergy Association to examine a range of measures, which could end up being very wide. In fact, on our own farm, we ended up pushing the material into a corner and leaving it there because there is evidence to suggest that sort of material and green waste will sit there and potentially provide a habitat for small birds and animals. Many farmers would like to do more on their farms, however, and that is just one example. Fro…

As the Deputy will be aware, despite wool's versatility and uses in many industries, wool prices remain low. To address this issue and seek a more favourable outlook for the wool industry, in March 2021, I initiated a comprehensive review of the industry. This review, which was a programme for Government commitment, concerned the potential demand for wool-based products, including insulation and fertilisers, in domestic and international markets. I set aside funding of €100,000 to carry out this review. In July 202…

I accept the Deputy's acknowledgement of the progress that has been made. The council has only met formally once. At the next meeting, the terms of reference will be drawn up and council members will be appointed. I look forward to that and to assessing the progress that is being made. The Deputy identified some of the findings of the wool feasibility study in the context of making use of wool. The list of those findings includes: brand development for Irish-grown wool; marketing of Irish-grown wool; the developmen…